Deposit for Photographer

[amunet]

There's a photographer that we are interested in hiring. The only downside is that he asks for 50% as a deposit to secure the date. Part of the package is engagement photos too.

Is 50% too much to pay a photographer a year out?? Just worried about them canceling, I was going to contact them next about cancellations program.

[saltyveruca]

We require a deposit from all of our couples. Pretty much anyone who is serious in the business will require one as well. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that not having to do a deposit would be a red flag.

We do this to protect ourselves. When we reserve your date, we take it off our books and cannot be hired by anyone else for that day. If you were to cancel the wedding, change your date, or just decide you want another photographer, we've missed out on the opportunity to photograph another wedding that will actually happen on that date (and get paid to do so). So a deposit helps cover that opportunity cost should the situation arise.

Our unofficial policy (as in, it's not in our contract, but we do this anyway) is to use the deposit we've been paid as a credit in the event that a couple cancels. So they can use the credit for portraits, give gift certificates to other people for portraits, etc.

[petruzzo]

50% is pretty standard fare. Because there's only 52 Saturdays in a year (and since most weddings tend to fall on Saturdays), those 52 days are extremely valuable. Like, Saltyvaruca said, if the customer were to cancel, we could potentially be losing a great deal of money having reserved that date.

You should allow the deposit to give you some confidence in the photographer. A lot of the shady guys will reserve the date without a deposit or with a very small one. But it would be a major disaster for the photographer to cancel on you. Again, like Saltyvaruca said, you should probably be more suspicious of people who don't ask for the deposit.

Also though, most legit wedding photographers return the deposit if they cancel the event.

[amunet]

Thank you both for your replies, very useful for us as we look at photographers!

[DELICIOUSimagery]

Im a Wedding Photographer and would never as for 50%...I collect $500 as a deposit when signing contract. The deposit is the photographers insurance he has the job and confirms the day as yours. I would be weary, unless your total package is under $1000..Hope that helps.
Cheers,
Paul

[petruzzo]

Thank you both for your replies, very useful for us as we look at photographers!

I'm glad we could be of some assistance. But per DELICIOUSimagery's reply, I should also add that the amount and type of deposit your photographer requires will vary based on where you live. The important point is that the deposit acts as insurance, both for you and for your photographer. There's no right or wrong deposit, but any sizable deposit is a good sign.

[WebLady]

When I was a photographer I pretty much did half as a deposit too. Depending on the price of the package and how far out the date was, sometimes I'd split the total in 3rds and do the the final balance 2 weeks prior, the deposit amount and a payment in between.

There were a couple of occasions when the couple booked far enough out (I only booked up to one year out) and a high price package and asked if we could do a monthly payment plan. But even then I'd get at least 25% as a deposit and add a payment plan fee.

Deposits are there to make sure you have booked the date and no one can take it from you. Plus vendors have to be able to stay afloat and purchase supplies and such. And vendors have to look out for if you tried to cancel and then they would have lost the date. Most of the time if you have more money tied up with the vendor, you will usually have less chance of trying to cancel.

So just read your contracts with all your vendors; if you are uncomfortable with something ask them about it. Maybe they can add or change or remove something to make you both feel safer. Get references too, and check them out online and with the BBB to make sure they have not done shady business with others.

Good Luck!

[RozMitchell]

We also require a deposit from our brides, for exactly the same reason that was posted above - we only book one wedding per weekend, period. We require that deposit to hold the date. Deposits will vary from photographer to photographer, but I would be more wary of one that didn't ask for a deposit!

That being said, we're pretty generous to our brides. We ask for 1/3rd of their total package price as a deposit, and then don't require the rest of the payment until they're holding their album in their hands. We've never had any one balk at that. That deposit not only ensures that the bride is committed to booking us for that day, but also covers our expenses for the wedding album we'll prepare for them. So should a bride bail on us, really, all we're out is our time.

Good luck with your photographer, and congratulations!

Roz

[FedererPhoto]

I second what Saltyvaruca said so well. (or it third or fourthing at this point?)

I require a 50% retainer fee to 'book the date'. (covers loss of that date (given there are only about 25 bookable saturdays in a season... and I refuse to shoot more than one wedding every 2 weeks... loss of one date would be very bad). Some photographers (me included) will give back some (50%) of the retainer fee if you cancel with more than X (9) months before the date of the wedding (allowing them time to rebook)

Many other photographers then require the remaining 50% sometime before shooting.

Personally, I do 50% to retain my services for the date, 25% before shooting, and 25% before getting your finalized images.

Hope this helps...

[RevMatty]

I've seen worse.

Plus he's protecting himself. If you were to cancel at the last minute, he'd be out of money for that day. Especially if someone else had came along and offered more then what your paying.

And in most cases if he cancels, you get your money back.

[BarceloMayaPalaceBride]

Our photography package is costing $1,600.00 and we were required to put a $250.00 deposit. I think a deposit is definetely normal, but I would first find out what the cancellation policy is and go from there. :)

[amunet]

Thanks for all the new replies, I definitely agree with the fact there needs to be a deposit but was just quite surprised at the % of the total value. Our reception hall is a 300 deposit which is only less than 10%.

The photographer we ended up picking requires a 300 deposit and are signing a contract so things should go well :)

[Whitewater]

Our photographer asked us for about 20% down, which we were happy to give him because that deposit ensures that our date is reserved with him! Since his business has grown by leaps and bounds in the last year (and we knew it would when we hired him), we wanted to make SURE that he would be able to work with us -- and the only way to do that was to put down a deposit.

Turns out that we also get his rates from when we signed the contract . . . because he's upped them since! So that saves us some money.

As a customer, I think putting down a deposit is a win-win situation. I know my vendor is signed and sealed, and I *don't* have to have all of the money right away, which is always a plus.

Our flower people originally asked for 50%, but then she offered 33% (three equal payments instead of two) when she realized that 3 payments instead of two worked better for us. We had to ask her if she wouldn't mind being a little flexible, though.


Whitewater

[ISPWP]

Typically (I'm sure there are exceptions), the more established and experienced photographers will generally require a higher deposit than photographers who are newer. Photographers who aren't booking many weddings or are just starting out will be looking for the advantage of lower prices and a lower deposit to help increase their bookings. Which makes sense.

As stated above, when you book your photographer, the photographer is taking that date off of their books and if other clients call, he/she will inform them that date is no longer available. By having a higher deposit, the photographer is providing some level of insurance that if the clients cancel, he/she still has enough income to stay in business.

From the clients' perspective, paying a deposit is assurance that the date is booked and the photographer is no longer advertising their availability on that date.

I hope that helps. I'm glad it worked out for you!

Joe Milton
International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers (ISPWP)

[KristinGriffin]

We charge a 50% deposit to reserve the date. Since I don't contract more than one wedding/day, I'd be out of luck if I didn't protect my business this way... I collect the deposit and sign contracts at the same time, sometimes as far out as 2 years in advance. I guess it will depend on your area, but in New England, I've found this is pretty standard.

I think it's a good thing you've found someone who charges this deposit - it should be a good sign that you are dealing with a professional; they've reserved the date for you - now you can stop worrying about the photographs - they are in competent hands.

Good luck with your wedding planning!

[apagano]

20 to 50% is pretty normal so agree with most of the posts abobe. Here in NYC I know many wedding photographers that require full payment Two weeks before the event, I am not sure what the reasoning is about payment in advance, I ask 20% deposit and full payment the evening of the wedding.
Good Luck
Alfonse Pagano

[Jacklynn]

I think we gave a 10% deposit

[Bruce Stenman]

All photographers have a policy regarding retainers and retainers are fees for reserving a date for a couple. They are not deposits which would be fully refundable under most states' laws. I require a $1000 retainer to be paid upon the signing of the services agreement and then work with couples on a payment plan.

50% does help a photographer to lock in a client if they do not believe the quality of their work is sufficient and couples may bail after the engagement session which does happen. I get at least a couple calls each summer from couples desperate to locate another photographer. They may be at fault or their photographer or it may just be a bad match. Many couple try to find the least expensive photographer having prioritized the rings, venue, catering, flowers, wedding dress and accessories, and then try to figure out how to pay for the DJ, limo, and photographer with what is left of their budget.

Unfortunately for some they realize after the wedding that they made a mistake and can't remember the food or what the cake tasted like or what flowers were used for the centerpieces, and the pictures they have to remember this day for the rest of their live are not very good.

Just be sure that whoever you contract with is actually going to be the person photographing your wedding, and this applies to the second shooter as well.

[KristinGriffin]

Just be sure that whoever you contract with is actually going to be the person photographing your wedding, and this applies to the second shooter as well.

I second this... Definitely be sure you are dealing with the actual photographer, especially if you are working with a large studio... You may meet with a sales rep initially, and not actually meet your wedding photographer until the engagement shoot or the wedding itself...

You do have a right to meet your photographer ahead of time, and it will make you more comfortable in front of their camera, which will show in the pictures. This is why I do the engagement shoots as a "test drive" before we sign contracts for the wedding photography. I want to be sure we're a good match!

If you don't feel comfortable with your photographer, with their policies, or (gasp) with their photographs, by all means, don't sign a contract! You will be dealing extensively with this person on your special day and if your personalities clash for any reason, it could ruin your experience.

[SkippyNXC]

what i loved about my photographers package is that the final payment wasn't due until i recieved my photos in my hot lil hands LOL so he got a 33% deposit, 33% 10 days before the wedding... final payment when i get my albums. i think thats a good way to handle business b/c it gaurentees i'm happy w/the services and products and its motivation not to take 7 months making my albums ;)

[Brad Ross Photography]

I collect 1/3 at signing, 1/3 a month out and 1/3 the day of. Every photographer is going to do something different.

I do feel the farther out the wedding is the more of a deposit i would want. When someone books me, that date effectively becomes locked out. Any new inquiries I have to turn away. In my experience the longer one waits to get married the higher the chance of it being cancelled. Sad but true. I have seen it too many times. For this reason I need to protect myself against the cancelled weddings by holding a greater retainer.

[sandy03]

We had to pay a $200 non-refundable deposit to reserve our date, but it is credited to our final package cost, which is due a week before.

[Bruce Stenman]

what i loved about my photographers package is that the final payment wasn't due until i recieved my photos in my hot lil hands LOL so he got a 33% deposit, 33% 10 days before the wedding... final payment when i get my albums. i think thats a good way to handle business b/c it gaurentees i'm happy w/the services and products and its motivation not to take 7 months making my albums ;)

I agree. I have 1/3 due 30 days after the wedding to cover the costs of producing the album, etc. and my only worry would be a couple not having the money left after their big day. It is not unusual, especially with the current economy and millions of people losing their jobs to have couples tell the photographer that they are not going to be able to make their final payment, and they may tell them this 2 weeks before the wedding or the week after and the photographer is really out the money they would have earned by booking another couple.

In California every important venue I know of will demand 50% at the time the contract is signed and the remainder 6 months before the day of the wedding. This may not be the practice at the local Elks Lodge but it sure is with any of the prime venues that book out a year or more in advance.

[Maria Angela Photography]

I know that I require a $500 non-refundable retainer to secure a wedding date. I have heard of many photographers asking for 50% though. Ask if that entire 50% is non-refundable. Also make sure you read the contract thoroughly and ask about their cancellation policy.

Wish you the best!
Maria

[Simple Weddings]

Concur with everyone else - 25% to 50% deposit is the norm, and is an absolute necessity.

Also, the further out the date is, the higher the deposit should be (more chance of cancellation).

Of course, make sure you are clear on the details and everything is spelled out in a written and signed contract.

[asphotographymk]

Hi

I ask for a non refundable 50% deposit to book and the other 50% is due before the wedding day. This is simple because we only book 1 wedding a day and if you cancel on us we could lose out on a very large sum.

what i loved about my photographers package is that the final payment wasn't due until i recieved my photos in my hot lil hands LOL so he got a 33% deposit, 33% 10 days before the wedding... final payment when i get my albums. i think thats a good way to handle business b/c it gaurentees i'm happy w/the services and products and its motivation not to take 7 months making my albums ;)

The problem with this approach and why i never recommend it to fellow photographers is im afraid you will always get the couple that just turn round and say "i have my album now im not paying any more"
I have heard of it happening so many times so money upfront protects the photographer while your contract should protect you

[ikkin510]

This is an old post from 2008/2009. Most members aren't even active anymore.